I had an epiphany about life when I was six years old. I was running down the driveway to get on the schoolbus. As I passed this mud puddle I thought, "When I run by here this afternoon is in the future. When it happens ... it will be right now."
Seven hours later I jumped off the bus, ran towards the house,and passed the same puddle. Whoa! Wow! The future happened in the present.
A few days later I was lying in bed waiting for sleep. All alone in the dark I thought, "Someday, a far time in the future, I'm going to grow old and"¦oh oh. When it happens, it will be right now."
Next morning mom found me curled up in a ball, whimpering behind the living room stove. "Now what?" she asked. I was always wondering or worrying about something.
"I don't want to be a skeleton," I whined.
If I tell kids this story, they laugh like little immortals. That's why I love working with children from 3 to 93.
April is poetry month. I'd like to tip my hat by sharing a few poems by students I've worked with this year. I wish I had more room. I could fill a school bus with their muse.
Writing for me is a way of capturing moments of life as time flows through us. I think a lot about that little boy, and the insight he gave this middle-aged man.
In my poetry workshops I try to give back what I've learned. Catch the kids' similes. They light me up like a constellation of haikus.
Poet Bard Terry Wooten has been performing and conducting writing workshops in schools for 28 years. He is the creator of Stone Circle. Learn more about him at www.terry-wooten.com.
Nighttime Driving
Kristina Wendling (5th)
Bellaire Elementary
As the car came to a halt
four deer emerged
from the dark murky woods.
I stared,
they stared back
with eyes
bright as the twinkling stars.
First a doe,
then three fawns with white spots
scattered like snowflakes
across their delicate backs.
Mom made up
clever voices
for each one of them.
I giggled
like a schoolgirl.
The last one
disappeared
into the deep dark forest.
The Woods
Corey Newsome (5th)
Bellaire Elementary
Walking through the woods
with my dog,
my only companion.
Her fine brown fur
dazzling the darkness
like a shooting star.
Lighting up the musky fog
like a ruby in complete darkness.
We were playing
cherishing every second
as if it were our last
in the motionless forest.
Our friendship
stronger than any bond
like a chain
that cannot be broken.
She is my best friend.
Faces
Reese Wagner (6th)
Glenn Loomis Montessori
Those trees had faces
I barely remember.
They were staring
at me
like an angry bull.
I ran.
No help. NOTHING.
I hid.
No help. NOTHING.
Those trees,
they knew everything.
Scared me.
Watched me.
Stalked me.
Those trees were crazy
like the woman who owned them.
3rd Period
Cameron Case (6th)
Glenn Loomis Montessori
Two minutes left
in the 3rd period.
(My teammate) passed the puck!
I shot hard as a professional.
Didn't know where I shot.
The crowd went wild
like a lion running for food.
I scored!
We were now in the playoffs.
I will never forget that.
Ouch
Christian Smith(4th)
Blair Elementary
I skidded across
the pavement.
The roads were
watery, slippery
like an ice rink.
My bike slipped.
I flew headfirst
into the pavement.
That did not feel good.
My friends were laughing at me
like I was a clown.
I grabbed my bike
and got up like nothing happened.
A little later
my friend fell off his bike
like he got hit by a snow blower.
His hard handle bars
fell right on his stomach.
I said, "Howdoes it feel?"
"Not so good."
Betty Dunham (81)
Kalkaska Elders Project
By Hope Clayton (6th) SEEDS
I was a mischievous kid.
Never liked anybody to tell me
what to do.
I probably spent
half of the fourth-grade
under the table
in my classroom.
I wouldn't shut my mouth.
The teacher put me there,
but I liked it because
I could reach the books.
I've always been a reader.
I read
before I went to school.
I loved school,
and my favorite part was writing.
